Monday, December 29, 2008



Monday, December 29, 2008



The Afghan-Pakistan militant nexus

Seven years after 9/11, the US has declared the Afghan-Pakistan border region to be the new frontline in its war on terror. Use the map to see how militants operate on either side of the border.

For Details Visit; BBC website at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7601748.stm



Kurram, Khyber, Nangarhar

As the Pakistani military strategists who organised Afghan guerillas against the Soviets in the '80s discovered to their delight, Kurram is the best location along the entire Pakistan-Afghanistan border to put pressure on the Afghan capital, Kabul, which is just 90km away. But because the region is inhabited by a Shia tribe that opposes the Taleban for religious reasons, the Taleban have not been able to get a foothold here. Analysts say this is the main reason why the Taleban have taken so long to improve their strength in areas around Kabul, such as Logar and Wardak.

Some militant groups in the Khyber tribal district have carried out attacks on foreign and Afghan troops in Nangarhar province. But the Pakistani government has kept a close watch on them. One reason may be to curb the ability of these groups to block the highway through Khyber which serves as the main conduit for supplies to international forces in Afghanistan that come via the Pakistani port of Karachi.

5.7 magnitude quake jolts Abbotabad, Gilgit and Chitral, no casualties reported



Monday, December 29, 2008

A moderate 5.7quake jolted upper parts of Pakistan on Monday morning. According to US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the tremor, which occurred at 8:37 am, was located just 141 kilometers beneath the earth whereas 145 kilometers in northwest of Mingora and 71 kilometer in northwest of Chitral. The tremor felt in Dir, Chitral, Malakand,Swat, Peshawar, Attock, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Takhtbai, Mansehra, Dargai Sakhakot, Para Chinar, Kurram Agency, South Waziristan and other tribal areas. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.